Forever Was Yours to Ruin

Whenever nightmares kept Claire up, young Elliot stayed by her bed and talked her through them.Night after night.When the older Elliot sent reporters to swarm her house and tear into her, young Elliot pulled her close and shut down every question.When Elliot gave their wedding ring to his mistress just to humiliate Claire, young Elliot spent every cent he had on a new one and slid it onto her finger.Then, under the moonlight, he broke down.His voice cracked. His resolve didn't."Claire, he's not me anymore."Stop letting him hurt you. Leave him. Come with me, okay?"The raw plea in his eyes finally broke through the walls Claire had built around her heart.That night, she signed the divorce papers that had dragged on for two years.***Later, Claire went to Paulson Corp to finish the paperwork.As she approached the office, laughter spilled out.Cold. Mocking.The "eighteen-year-old Elliot" was gone.No warmth. No devotion.Just a smirk as he flipped through the di

After leaving the mansion, Claire went straight back to her condo.That night, she was scrolling through social media when Jovie's latest post popped up.In the photo, Jovie wore a white wedding dress. The necklace around her neck and the diamond ring on her finger caught the light. Elliot stood behind her with an arm around her waist, the two of them looking every bit like a happy couple.Caption: [Life is short. I only want half of yours.]In less than three minutes, the post had already racked up hundreds of congratulations.The old Claire would've completely lost it.This time, she simply tapped Like and kept scrolling.A dull ache spread through Claire's stomach. She grabbed the painkillers from her nightstand, swallowed two, and pulled the covers over her head.If she slept, maybe it wouldn't hurt.Then, sometime after midnight, someone kicked in her condo door.The crash ripped Claire awake, her heart slamming against her ribs.Before she could move, someone dragged h

With Elliot there to back her up, Jovie's eyes filled with tears."Elliot, I'm the one who'll be by your side from now on. I just wanted to meet your friends and congratulate Ms. Sandford. I didn't think Ms. Carlisle would hate me this much..."I know what we have isn't exactly honorable, but I don't love you any less than she does. If I'd met you back then, I would've struggled through those years with you too."But if Ms. Carlisle can't stand me, I'll go."She wiped her tears and turned to leave.Pity flashed across Elliot's face as he pulled Jovie back into his arms.Then he looked at Claire, his eyes ice-cold."Claire, you behaved for a few days, and now you're starting trouble again?"Jovie only came with me. She didn't mean anything by it. Why do you keep going after her? Apologize."He didn't ask a single question.He'd already decided Claire was guilty.Zoe hitched up her skirt and stepped forward, ready to explode, but Claire gently stopped her."You want an apolog

Meanwhile, at a nightclub...Elliot sat with a dark look on his face, his eyes locked on the entrance.Time kept slipping by.Claire never showed.With the two-hour deadline almost up, he finally called her.The lecture he'd been ready to unleash died the second a cold automated voice answered.His face darkened....She blocked me?He hung up and opened their chat.His fingers flew across the screen.[So you're really going through with the divorce?]He hit 'Send.'A notification popped up.[Not Delivered.]The vein at Elliot's temple throbbed.His jaw tightened as he stared at the screen in disbelief.Wyatt glanced at his phone, then smirked."Wow. Claire's got some nerve. She actually blocked you?"You pushed her too far. If you don't want her, I do. Guess I'll have to win her back."The words hit Elliot like a punch."Shut up."Anger exploded inside him.'How could Claire block me?'Back when they first moved to Auremont, they'd gotten into a stupid fight. Cla

The door slammed shut.Claire had lived here with Wyatt for the past two months.'When did she sell the condo? She never told me.'Before he could make sense of it, something bumped against his shoe.He looked down.A few cardboard boxes sat beside the hallway trash cans.A familiar flash of silver caught his eye.He crouched and opened one of the boxes.Inside was a simple silver charm bracelet.'...Isn't that the bracelet I had made for her?'When he'd first gone after Claire, he'd wanted to earn her trust as fast as possible. Copying the little things Elliot used to do, he'd driven hours to a small jewelry shop and picked every charm himself.'She threw it away?'Wyatt let out a humorless laugh.No longer pretending to be Elliot, he dropped the act.Bold. Reckless. A predator who'd found new prey.He ran his tongue along the inside of his cheek, amusement flickering in his eyes as he made a call."Find Claire. When you do, don't tell my brother. Bring her straight to